"Hiking and philosophy go together like a pair of comfortable trail shoes and moisture-wicking socks. Whether one prefers all-day wilderness treks like Henry David Thoreau, or thoughtful urban strolls à la Hannah Arendt, hiking can deepen one's habits of attention, resilience, and care. Empirical studies now affirm what these figures intuited, that walking improves one's mood, strengthens community bonds, and enhances capacities for self-reflection."
"Among the Greeks, Aristotle's students became known as the peripatētikoí -or, "those who walk around"-for the way he lectured while walking the grounds of the Lyceum. Itinerant Daoist sages in China touted the importance of yúnyóu (or "cloud-walking"), a way of recognizing one's own internal transformations as reflections of the external changes in the countryside. And, in Ontario's Pukaskwa National Park, hikers can still follow a trail called the Bimose Kinoomagenwnan, dedicated to the Seven Grandfather Teachings of the Anishinaabe."
Hiking and philosophy complement each other by cultivating attention, resilience, care, and ethical orientation toward self, others, and the planet. Walking improves mood, strengthens community bonds, and enhances capacities for self-reflection, supported by empirical studies. Multiple global traditions—in Greek peripatetic teaching, Daoist yúnyóu, and Anishinaabe Seven Grandfather Teachings—attribute cognitive and ethical benefits to walking in nature. Educators have integrated philosophical hikes or "wisdom walks" into Environmental Ethics curricula to promote embodied learning and student engagement. Grants from professional organizations have supported the expansion of such experiential pedagogy across courses.
Read at Apaonline
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